Once a notoriously overcrowded and unsanitary slum, the Lower East Side is now one of Manhattan’s most fashionable neighborhoods. Most of the bargain-clothing stores and pickle vendors have given way to indie boutiques and some of the best restaurants in NYC, though there are a few cherished survivors of the former Jewish stronghold, including venerable smoked-fish purveyors Russ & Daughters and pastrami legend Katz’s Delicatessen. The Tenement Museum keeps the neighborhood’s history alive in a series of restored apartments visited via themed guided tours, but most of the area’s cultural draws are contemporary including the numerous art galleries on the LES.